Symbols of Myself: Rough Draft

A personality is difficult to define. It is typically complicated, multilayered, and even unknown to the person it belongs to. Yet it is only human to attempt to define yourself. Our possessions, objects, belongings, favorite items or characteristic all speak volumes about us. Without even realizing what we have done, our personalities shine through the symbols we keep close. I am no different. Complex. Multilayered. And there are parts of me that I am sure I do not know.

            I do know that I am sentimental. I attach feelings to otherwise meaningless objects, and they are the embodiment of memories or pieces of my past, present, and future. Among the symbols that are extensions of myself are my Jeep, my bow and arrows, my basketball shoes, and my fleur-de-lis ring. Though the characteristics of each symbol may overlap, but each displays a piece of my personality.

            Candy-apple red, often with mud up to windows, and sporting a convertible top, my Jeep is among my favorite possessions. In two months, it has traveled nearly two thousand miles as I have chauffeured my family around town, down highways, and through muddy back roads. Versatility is a key feature to the Jeep. It goes anywhere. Around town it becomes an eye-catching conversation piece. In the Mississippi swampland it is a way through a particularly muddy, rough section of dirt road. The Jeep has been a right of passage into an unknown family of Jeep drivers. It is but common courtesy to wave and acknowledge one another on the roads. All around, there is little to complain about in my Jeep.

            Yet there is a deeper meaning to my car than being fun. It is most definitely an extension of myself. Though I am not particularly loud, I like to be striking, to turn heads with confidence and strength. The Jeep shows off my need to stand out from the crowd: running in the middle of the pack is not for me. “Average” is a word I never want to hear associated with myself, my accomplishments, or my endeavors. In the Jeep, I am given the freedom to go where I wish, to make a statement without saying a word, and to show a piece of myself to the world, and that is what I needed and wanted it to do.

            Though not as public as the Jeep, my bow and arrows are just as colorful, sporting my favorite shades, electric blue and hot pink. Powerful, fast, quiet, and light, it is the perfect hunting tool. My dad, brother, and I all hunt with bow and gun, enjoying the closeness to nature it provides. Shooting a bow well took hours of practice, plenty of bruises from the string burning my arm, and a few tears.

            My bow is more than a weapon. It is empowering. Holding it, drawing it, and shooting it all bring a sense of strength. There is little more satisfying than a perfect “10.” Shooting my bow symbolizes a “rough-around-the-edges” part of my personality: not backing down or ever quitting. I can fend for myself.

            Fending for myself applies to my favorite athletic activity as well: basketball. Scuffed and scarred, my basketball shoes show the wear and tear of Varsity girls’ basketball. Among the roughest and most aggressive sports, basketball is a test of will power and physical strength. Now sitting stale in my closet, my shoes remind me of my teammates and our camaraderie every time I see them.

            6 years of basketball have made me an aggressive, assertive, strong person. I don’t back down. I don’t slack off in the gym or in anything else. My shoes are merely a symbol of my all-or-nothing attitude, a token to hard work put in and success achieved. When I put them back on each November, a sense of pride in how far I have come from a relatively shy, reserved child, to a confident, assertive high schooler.

            Lastly, my ring was a cherished gift from my father when I turned 15. Now tarnished silver on the inside with gold bands on both edges and fleur-de-lis embossed into the center portion, it is truly a piece of art. It is elegant. It is refined. It is an item I rarely leave home without.

            The ring is a very different embodiment of my personality. It represents the side of me that enjoys dressing up and going to a nice restaurant, attends Mardi Gras balls in floor length dresses, and spends time at the country club. Refined and elegant, it is the side of me that takes pride in little accomplishments: walking gracefully thanks to ten years of dancing, finally getting my hair to look just the way I planned for homecoming, or not spilling anything on my clothes at dinner. One might call it petty, or up-tight, but mostly, my ring represents the class of a Southern daughter.

            I am not so different than other people. I at least like to see myself as multifaceted and impossible to truly define. People wouldn’t be nearly as intriguing if everyone could be summed up in just a few words. My symbols are displays of that complexity. They show off bits and pieces of my personality and I hold them close because I have attached them, simple, mostly replaceable objects, to pieces of myself. The morals I value, the attributes I take pride in, and an overview of my personality can be gathered from all of the symbols I possess, not only my Jeep, bow, shoes, and ring. I do not think I can define myself, or anyone for that matter. However, my personality is not hidden. Just take a closer look at the objects I hold most dear.